LeBron James slaps Father Time with an unreal 41 stat line against the Pelicans
This season has shown, more than ever, that even someone so godlike LeBron James is a mere mortal. James has shown more signs of aging than ever, and at 41, that’s only to be expected. But from time to time, The star of the Los Angeles Lakers rose to the occasion and shows why he is the greatest to ever play at this advanced age.
On Tuesday night, when the New Orleans Pelicans showed so much fight against the Lakers, James had to step up and set the tone for LA as they look to continue their winning ways after a rough finish to the 2025 calendar year. 41-year-old ageless wonder set up 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes of action on 53/60/100 efficient shooting, no mean feat considering how much mileage he’s put on his body over the course of his career.
Of those 30 points, 10 came in the fourth quarter where the Lakers pulled away from the plucky Pelicans. During that fateful stretch, James was a plus-13 for the Lakers, as they not only endured minutes less than Luka Doncic, but thrived without the team’s best player on the floor.
These types of games give Lakers fans so much hope that if the team adds a piece or two, they can fight for the title even when they reside in the stacked Western Conference.
LeBron James is getting into shape for the Lakers
With Austin Reaves nursing a calf injury, the Lakers needed James to be more of a ball handler instead of a connector because he was ready to be with Reaves and Doncic at the helm. And he answered the call; he has averaged 29/8/8 since the calendar moved to 2026, as per StatMuse and the Lakers have yet to lose a game during that span.
James and the Lakers will look to keep it going tomorrow night when they take on the San Antonio Spurs for the second night of back-to-back games at 9:30 PM ET
2026-01-07 05:04:00
